1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field):
The present invention relates to a mailbox. Particularly, the present invention relates to a mailbox which is not excessively large and bulky, and which is resistant to theft of items disposed therein due to its internal design.
2. Background Art
The theft of mail is a continuing problem with conventional mailboxes, such as the common “rural” style box typically employed in rural and suburban neighborhoods. A conventional mailbox simply has a hinged door, and can be opened and accessed by anyone. Theft of mail is common, including theft of items such as checks, social security checks, credit cards and the like, and is a contributing factor to identity theft.
There are a number of patents which disclose various mailboxes with security features. However, all of the heretofore known mailboxes have limitations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,642 discloses a mailbox that is approximately three times the height of a conventional box. With such an unusually large height, not only is this mailbox bulky and distracting to observers from the surrounding landscape, but such a large mailbox also requires more material to produce and is thus more expensive to manufacture and ship. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,938,113; 5,526,979; and 4,993,626 are similar to the foregoing patent, and these mailboxes also suffer the same drawbacks of the mailbox described in that patent. Other patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,344, involve complex shapes and are large and unwieldy in design. Still other patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,758,027 and 3,401,875, incorporate complex mechanical components, and optionally require the use of heavy gage metal construction or specialized shapes. There is thus a need for a mailbox which can provide protection from theft of items disposed therein while not being overly large and while not requiring complex or unwieldy shapes.